Sweden, Denmark Stop Modern Covid shots for younger people
(Bloomberg) -Sweden and Denmark decided to stop vaccinations with Moderna Inc’s Covid-19 shots for younger people due to potential side effects.
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The Swedish health authority on Wednesday cited new data on the increased risk of heart inflammation as a reason for the break for those who are 30 years and younger. Denmark will stop giving the shot to those younger than 18.
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Modern equities fell as much as 5.3% in New York trading.
“We monitor the situation closely and act quickly to ensure that Covid-19 vaccinations are always as safe as possible, while providing protection,” says Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s epidemiologist.
The two countries recommended Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s rival vaccine as a replacement. Both vaccinations use messenger RNA technology to elicit an immune response.
Sweden’s public health watchdog said that a new preliminary analysis from the Nordic countries indicates that the connection between vaccination and heart inflammation is clearest with the Moderna shot, especially after the second dose. The higher risk comes within four weeks of vaccination, and usually during the first two weeks, it said.
Similar risk
In an interview, Modern CEO Stephane Bancel said that larger amounts of data, including actual data from the United States, indicate that the risk of myocarditis is similar between the two vaccines. He also said that the risk of developing myocarditis from Covid is much greater than the chances of coming down with heart disease after receiving the vaccine.
Those who have recently been vaccinated with a first or second dose of the Moderna vaccine should not worry, says Tegnell, as the risk is very small. The Danish Health Authority indicated that it has not seen any differences in side effects between the two vaccines.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health cited new data from Ontario, Canada, as well as from Norway, Sweden and other countries in the recommendation that men under the age of 30 consider choosing the Pfizer job.
On Monday, the European Medicines Agency approved the use of an extra dose of Moderna’s shots for people with severely weakened immune systems.
Pfizer Booster for adults approved in the EU; Modern for some
Last week, Slovenia temporarily stopped another type of vaccine manufactured by Johnson & Johnson after the death of a young woman who had received it. Earlier this year, a number of countries imposed age restrictions on AstraZeneca Plc’s shots due to links to other potential side effects.
The Astra and J&J vaccines use technology called a viral vector that differs from the mRNA images.
(Updates with Modern CEO, Norway recommendation from the seventh paragraph)
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